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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29461881">Just Who Is This Girl?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinadogg/pseuds/pinadogg'>pinadogg</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Lloyd Garmadon Needs a Hug, but i mean i guess it COULD be read as one?, it just looks like it, this isn't a ship fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:14:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,652</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29461881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinadogg/pseuds/pinadogg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Um, I’m,” Lloyd shakily starts—</p><p>"Oh, I know exactly who you are, Lloyd Garmadon," She hisses. </p><p>OR</p><p>My take on Movie-verse Harumi! yeah it's her turn, now. (Formerly titled "Late!")</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cole &amp; Lloyd Garmadon &amp; Kai &amp; Nya &amp; Jay Walker &amp; Zane, Lloyd Garmadon &amp; Harumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Late!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>what's up i had writer's block</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He had a good run.</p><p><br/>
Textbooks in arms, hair sticking up in several places, and one shoe untied, Lloyd was sprinting through the halls, desperately trying to get to his first class on time. That was until the first bell rang. Late. Unfortunately, that morning he had woken up late and rushed through his daily routine in order to say goodbye to his mom before she left.  It didn't help that the bus left him behind at the last second. 'No doubt the students would be celebrating there,' Lloyd thinks gloomily.</p><p> </p><p>He gets lost in thought while also attempting to maintain his balance without looking like a complete idiot. On the bright side, at least Chen wasn't here! The chances of not getting humiliated were significantly higher now! Even though there were still people looking at him. Gosh, he wishes people would stop looking at him like that.</p><p><br/>
Like, sure, he is the literal devil's spawn. That's fair on its own. But it would be nice to not be resented solely because of that fact. Lloyd sighs, picking up speed again. </p><p> </p><p>Hopefully he'll be able to talk to the gang during lunch. He was very much in need of a group hug and<em> oh FSM that's a person slow down stop stop STOP </em> <em> — </em></p><p> </p><p>“<em>Agh- </em>”</p><p> </p><p>It was too late for Lloyd to stop. </p><p> </p><p>It was like his body doesn’t want to listen to him or something, because the next thing he sees is the ground somehow. Papers are sent flying everywhere, and he’s aware of the giggling and whispering from the few students that are still hanging around in the halls. Looks like the chances of not being humiliated were actually next to zero.</p><p> </p><p>Lloyd groans and lifts a hand to his temple, looking at his surroundings.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you watch where you’re going next time?” A voice snaps, and Lloyd doesn’t have the heart to point out that they weren’t looking either. Instead he scrambles to get up and help the other person, spewing out nonsensical apologies in the process. “Oh geez- I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” The person— <em> girl, </em>he’s come to realize— only grunts in response and dusts herself off. Lloyd opts to do the same. </p><p> </p><p>“Really, I’m-”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Yeah, sure. Whatever,” The girl interrupts and turns around to pick up her belongings before Lloyd realizes, again, that he should probably do the same. That is until the mystery girl also arranges his things and shoves them back into his arms. Meanwhile Lloyd is still standing there, looking like an idiot (yeah, what else is new). He can’t help but notice how her hair is a stark white. Is that even natural? He quickly shakes his head. What should his next move be?<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Maybe he should introduce himself or something? That would work!</p><p><br/>
“Um, I’m,” Lloyd shakily starts—</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I know <em> exactly </em> who you are, <em> Lloyd Garmadon</em>," She hisses. </p><p> </p><p>Lloyd gulps, shoulders tense. The last thing he wants is another possible cheerleader personally after his throat. The girl glares at him for a few seconds before suddenly snickering, breaking eye contact in the process. </p><p> </p><p>"Aw, take it easy! You're acting like I'm gonna traumatize you for killing my parents or something," She exclaims, offering him a hand. What an.. interesting choice of words.</p><p> </p><p>"Are- are you?" Lloyd questions, hesitant to actually grab her hand. He does it anyway. The girl merely shrugs.</p><p> </p><p>"In another universe, maybe. I'm Harumi."</p><p> </p><p>And with that, Harumi skips off into a nearby classroom.</p><p> </p><p>Lloyd stares after her. <em> ‘What the heck just happened..?’ </em></p><p> </p><p>He’s lost in thought once more until the second bell rings, causing him to jump at least two feet in the air.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> LATE! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>Their table is completely silent, save for the loud noise all around them.</p><p> </p><p>Nya is the first to break the silence. “So let me get this straight,” she narrows her eyes, “You met a <em> girl </em>while you were running late today?” Lloyd nods miserably. “And this girl looked like the nicest person on the planet who could also snap your neck at any given moment,” Nya finishes. He slams his head on the table, lunch to the side.</p><p> </p><p>Nya looks at Jay. Jay looks at Cole, who looks at Zane, who looks at Kai. Kai crosses his arms and voices what everyone else is apparently thinking,</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t trust her, bro.” They all nod in agreement. Lloyd throws his hands up in the air exasperatedly.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, come <em> on! </em> We can’t just go around not trusting <em> everyone </em>who’s weirdly nice to me!” Cole silently raises an eyebrow and Lloyd flinches. Right.</p><p> </p><p>“How do we know this ‘Harumi’ isn’t gonna try to drown you in a cave or something equally horrific?”<br/>
<br/>
“What’s with everyone being oddly specific today,” Lloyd grumbles bitterly.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re just looking out for you,” Jay cuts in worriedly, “We don’t want her to break your heart!”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Lloyd jumps at Jay’s claim. Break his heart? What is he talking about? Wha-? “Wait, you guys think I have a crush on her?!”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“It’s kind of obvious,” Cole says.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He shakes his head vehemently. “No, no, it is <em> not </em> like that! I barely even know her!” This was the worst. Maybe Lloyd shouldn’t have said anything at all if they were going to take it like this. “Look, all I’m saying is maybe it’d be cool to have her around sometimes!”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Have who around?”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Lloyd shrieks (no it was definitely not girly <em> thank you very much</em>) and whips around, the others following his gaze. The question came from none other than Harumi herself, who was carrying a lunch tray and smiling sweetly at Lloyd. He opens and closes his mouth, no sound coming out. </p><p> </p><p>“Are these your friends, Lloyd?” He nods his head shakily. She looks at the group in question and beams, “It’s nice to meet you guys!” The only person who actually responds is Nya, who gives a small smile back. “You too.”</p><p>“I’ll see you around then, Lloyd Garmadon.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah…”</p><p> </p><p>She walks off without a care in the world.</p><p> </p><p>When Lloyd turns back around they’re all looking at him expectantly. He groans and slams his head on the table for the second time that day when Nya says, “This calls for an investigation.”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Please don’t do this, guys—”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Please wait,” Zane says robotically,” An investigation is in order.”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“<em>Zane!</em>” </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Out on a Walk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lloyd has some fun today! Possibly.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yeah new chapter bet you didn't expect that huh</p><p>i'd like to thank lloydshoulddyehishair for much encouragement. she's the best :))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day at school, he’s in an oddly cheerful mood. Maybe it’s because the bus actually waited for him this time. Or maybe it could be because of how he made a new potential friend. Either way, Lloyd spends the entire day with a noticeable skip in his step. Not even the whispering and pointed glares got to him that much!</p><p> </p><p>“Looks like someone’s happy today,” Kai cheerfully comments, and Lloyd can’t do much but grin and nod. “What can I say? Today hasn’t really been that bad.” And it was true!<br/><br/>“I wonder why,” Cole muses. Lloyd ignores him in favor of humming quietly to himself.</p><p> </p><p>There was no possible way his mood could be-</p><p> </p><p>An alarm blares throughout the school, and the fifteen-year old flinches at the sudden glares turned in his direction. “Never mind,” he sighs, the others looking at him sympathetically. <em> Go figure. </em></p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>The battle between the ninja and Garmadon has become nothing but routine at this point. Launch mechs, take down his goons, inevitable banter between the green-clad ninja and warlord, take down Garmadon’s shark mech, save the day. Rinse and repeat.</p><p> </p><p>By the time they head back to the warehouse and change back into their citizen attire, Lloyd’s good mood has almost completely diminished. “Of all the times- It’s the middle of the <em> day </em>for goodness sake,” the boy grumbles to himself, walking over to the hidden exit.</p><p> </p><p>“You good, man?” Kai asks concernedly as he places a hand on his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Despite himself, Lloyd can’t help the smile on his face. <br/><br/></p><p>“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He turns and opens the locker door,</p><p> </p><p>And finds himself standing face-to-face with the girl he met yesterday. His brain short-circuits.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh-” <br/><br/>She tilts her head. “...What are you doing in your locker?” </p><p> </p><p>Quick, find an excuse! “I was…hiding..?” <em> Darn it, Lloyd, is that really the best you could come up with?! </em>He can already feel Nya’s gaze on him, berating him for not being more careful. He absentmindedly dusts himself off.</p><p> </p><p>“In a locker,” She deadpans, looking, unsurprisingly, unconvinced. “Isn’t that one of the worst places to hide in during a Garmadon attack?" Lloyd just stares at the ground and wrings out his hands. <em> Wow, was the floor always this interesting? </em></p><p> </p><p>“His attacks aren’t the only thing I have to worry about,” he says, and quickly has to backtrack at the sight of Harumi’s expression. “N-not like I really need to worry about- um- It’s more of like, a safety precaution! Er-”<br/><br/></p><p>“Lloyd.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Yes?”<br/><br/></p><p>She opens her mouth, looking as if she was going to say something important, then shakes her head. “..Never mind. Hey, you wanna walk with me?” Lloyd has a double-take. That caught him off guard.  <br/><br/></p><p>“Walk..? Where? I mean,” he laughs nervously and <em> oh gosh he’s rambling again </em>, “not that I don’t want to! It’s just. Me?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, sure! I’ll wait for you outside!” <em> No hesitation at all! </em>Lloyd coughs before stammering an ‘okay,’ and Harumi skips off without a second thought. By then, the hallway is completely empty and they finally exit their lockers one by one. </p><p> </p><p>“...That could have gone worse,” Lloyd says after a moment and it immediately leads to several outbursts. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you <em> kidding me?! </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“I really don’t trust her.” </p><p> </p><p>“Honestly, who’s to say? Maybe she’s not as bad as we think she is.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Chances of it being an ambush is seventy-six percent.”<br/><br/></p><p>“I don’t like those odds!”<br/><br/></p><p>Their complaints bounce back and forth from then on while Lloyd, not for the first time, is still trying to process just what the heck is going on. It’s not until somebody mentions something about <em> ‘killing everyone he loves’ </em>that Lloyd decides, ‘Alright, now this is getting a bit ridiculous.’ “Guys, GUYS!”</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, I get that you’re worried about me getting hurt and everything, but I <em> know </em>what I’m doing, alright?”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Kai,” Lloyd sighs, “Really. Besides, I can’t just <em> leave her </em> out there waiting! It’d be unethical!” <br/><br/>“Would you like us to accompany you, then?” Zane asks. Lloyd only shakes his head. “No. I don’t think she’d appreciate you guys breathing down her neck the whole time.”</p><p> </p><p>His remark does little to calm them down, evidently. Judging from Jay shifting awkwardly (more than usual) to Cole’s foot constantly tapping the ground. Kai looks like he could burst at any second. Lloyd has to hold back from heaving another sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“Look, if anything does go wrong,” he pulls out his phone and waves it in the air, “I’ll text you guys. <em> Then </em>you can yell at me all you want about how I was wrong and how I should listen to you guys more. Deal?” </p><p> </p><p>The tension loosens from his shoulders as Kai grunts and grabs his phone as well. After several seconds pass by with incessant tapping filling the air, a message flashes on Lloyd’s screen.</p><p> </p><p><b>red6hottie: </b>u’re gonna regret this. i just know it</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p>She’s sitting on the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>“Took you awhile,” Is the first thing Harumi says when she sees Lloyd. He can feel his face flush slightly. Did he really take that long? Lloyd rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, sorry. I was just.. Caught up in something, is all.” <br/><br/>“A confrontation?” Harumi frowns, and for a second he thought he saw something flicker in her eye, but it goes away as quickly as it came.</p><p> </p><p>“I- I guess you could say it like that? I took care of it fast, though!” </p><p><br/>“Alright, then.”</p><p> </p><p>He shoves his hands into his pockets and whistles a tune as Harumi stands up. “So,” he starts, “..Where are we going?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wherever the wind takes us, my friend,” She answers, abruptly grabbing his hoodie sleeve and hauling them away from the school building. Lloyd winces at the sight of rubble thrown around here and there, but it’s like Harumi’s either completely ignoring it or hasn’t even noticed. He forgot how much damage could be done in such a short amount of time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “There he is again! That Garmadon brat really doesn’t know when to quit, does he?!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>..He also forgot about the comments, too.</p><p> </p><p>The white-haired teen must have let go of his arm at some point because now Lloyd is gripping his hood like a lifeline. He has to physically restrain himself from pulling it over his head and tugging on the strings.</p><p> </p><p><em> “He really has the nerve to show his face around here…” </em> <em> <br/><br/></em></p><p>
  <em> “When will those ninja ever put a stop to this madness?!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “That poor girl, doesn’t she know who she’s messing with?” </em>
</p><p><em> <br/></em> <em> “Right? Especially with the news of that biker gang going around.” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “No doubt that Lloyd Garmadon isn’t the one behind it. They’re named the Sons of Garmadon, for cryin’ out loud!” </em>Sons of Garmadon? Biker gang..? That one’s new. And potentially dangerous.</p><p> </p><p>“You really give off kicked puppy vibes.” <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em></p><p>“I—” Lloyd shakes his head quickly. Now’s not the time to focus on that. “Sorry. I was just distracted.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is this really what you have to deal with all the time?”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess. Yeah,” He says and shrugs his shoulders, “You get used to it after a while.”</p><p> </p><p>Harumi scoffs. “That’s stupid. Really stupid.” Honestly, Lloyd is stumped. Normally anybody else in this city (except for his mom and uncle, friends, and sometimes Morro) would agree and say that the fifteen-year-old deserved it for doing who knows what. Then here’s Harumi openly rejecting that apparent universal fact. </p><p> </p><p>It confused him to no end of how a total stranger could actually be <em> opposed </em>to that.</p><p><br/>"You- you do know who I am," Lloyd points at himself questioningly, "Right?"</p><p> </p><p>"A sad dork who likes candy and stutters with every breath?" </p><p> </p><p>Okay. </p><p> </p><p><em> Wow! </em> </p><p> </p><p>Lloyd falters. At least she was honest...</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't mean that in a mean way," Harumi clarifies, "I really couldn’t care less about your whole reputation.”</p><p> </p><p>"That's.. fair,” He ponders as they come to a stop in front of a local food joint.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you wanna grab food here?”</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you see I'd love to! It's just that I'm... kind of. Banned. From here. And a lot of other places," Lloyd trails off. Harumi merely tilts her head.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you do anything to warrant them?"</p><p> </p><p>"Of course not! Not most of the time, anyways-"</p><p> </p><p>She silently asks for him to elaborate.</p><p> </p><p>He heaves a sigh and crosses his arms. "My cousin picked a fight with a fight with a restaurant's employees, once." Lloyd lifts his head when he hears a small giggle and looks at Harumi. "Employees?" She asks.</p><p> </p><p>"Several. He took on several of them. All at once," He confirms, and the girl snickers again.</p><p> </p><p>"You have to tell me the full story," She encourages, pushing open the front door. And that’s how Lloyd automatically launches into the story of how Morro started a fist-fight with several workers from a fast-food place and still managed to win.</p><p> </p><p>The conversations that came after were definitely worth it in the end.</p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>"I'll introduce you to my friends next week! Formally, I mean."</p><p> </p><p>"Sounds great!" She smiles, waving. "I'll see you later Lloyd!"</p><p> </p><p>"Bye!" Lloyd grins and merrily goes on his way back home, taking out his phone.</p><p> </p><p><b>greenie:</b> it went great! she didn't try to kill me! not even once!!! :D </p><p><br/><b>ladyWaterDragon:</b> Incredible....</p><p> </p><p><b>iceicebaby: </b>What exactly did happen?</p><p><br/><br/><b>greenie: </b>SHE FED ME</p><p> </p><p><b>ladyWaterDragon: </b>Y’all went on a date???</p><p> </p><p><b>red6hottie:</b> pls tell me u saved some food for us</p><p> </p><p><b>greenie: </b>wth no &amp; no</p><p> </p><p><b>red6hottie: </b>:(</p><p> </p><p><b>starfarerwalker92: </b>aww congrats Lloyd!</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>Harumi waves as the boy in green walks off. Once he's out of sight, her face darkens as she pulls out a radio. </p><p> </p><p>"This is the Quiet One speaking," she says as the radio begins to pick up feedback, "The mission was a success. Plan B will now commence. Make sure to eliminate any and all those who are deemed a threat."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p> "We will <b> <em>not</em> </b> fail."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Masks?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The ninja get some information.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>short chapter! i think. next one is in progress rn!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lloyd was confused, to say the least. They had gotten word of a Garmadon attack and had quickly changed into their ninja gear, but the warlord was nowhere to be found.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't understand," the blue ninja wonders aloud, "If Garmadon isn't attacking Ninjago City, then what were we called for?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Lloyd remarks while scanning the area for any signs of destruction or people in shark suits, "Nothing here." He waves back to citizens every now and then. It was nice to know that there was at least some version of him that people liked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, wait- I see something!" The earth ninja suddenly exclaims as he points at an innocent-looking brick wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What'd you find?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"..I think it'd be best if you come see it yourself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lloyd's face scrunches up in confusion as he turns the dragon mech and soars in Cole's direction. The others are there as well, their mechs parked in different areas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn't expecting to see his dad's face. More specifically his face on a banner with the letters 'SOG' written underneath. This must have been that biker gang people were gossiping about, Lloyd realizes. But why would anyone make any sort of group dedicated to Garmadon? Didn't they understand how many bad things he's done? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Green ninja!" Somebody exclaims.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turns to look at who Lloyd recognized to be the owner of a small antique shop in distress. The man runs up to him and stops, catching his breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, whoa there buddy," Lloyd eases, "What's going on here?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was <em>awful</em>! There was this group of people— I thought they were just customers who looked like emo teenagers! But then they started smashing and smashing and--" The store owner breaks into a hysterical sob. "All my beautiful collections..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you show us where it happened," Nya says, and the poor guy nods his head in a shaky manner. The man leads them inside the shop with Nya and Zane standing on either side of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The place was a wreck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were antiques shattered and glass was everywhere. Broken clocks were hanging off the walls and the whole shop was just a mess! But what bothered Lloyd the most wasn't the fact that there were several glass hazards. No, what bothered him was the fact that there were banners strung everywhere. The same ones that he saw earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, geez.."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The worst part about this is that they stole my favorite valuables," The man weeps.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lloyd perks up at this. Valuables? What was the point of destroying everything if they were just going to steal something else? He wanted to ask for more, but Kai beat him to it. "What were these 'valuables?' What do they look like?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Three masks with these white markings," He clarifies tearfully, " Yellow, red, and purple. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They aren't even worth anything, they just looked cool! Like something from Halloween!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There, there," Zane says placatingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Any details on those jerks?" Cole asks, stepping forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"One," The owner sniffs, "One of them had a visor on. They were all wearing leather jackets and spikes 'n stuff.."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He puts a hand on his head. Was his da— Garmadon responsible for all this? That couldn't be possible. Garmadon was a number of things, he's learned, but he was most certainly not stealthy. Maybe it was his generals? Then again, there were no signs of anyone wearing shark costumes or anything ocean-themed at all. How did nobody else notice this? Especially in broad daylight? Just who exactly was this biker gang anyways?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shouldn't we let the police handle this?" Jay whispers beside him. Lloyd shakes his head. Something told him this was too important to just hand off to the police. They had to put a stop to this before things got worse. Lloyd furrows his eyebrows. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're gonna have to get Wu about this," He says and turns to the store owner, who's still being pacified by Zane and Nya. "We'll get to the bottom of this," He announces, "I promise." And with that the ninja run out of the shop and back to their mechs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't forget to go to your local police station!" Jay calls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The Oni masks," Master Wu says as he strokes his beard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jay's face morphs into a confused look. "What the heck is an </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oni</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aren't they just myths?" Cole adds on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Incorrect," Zane states, "The Oni are known as ancient beings of destruction. They are very powerful, but not of this realm."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That is right, Zane," Wu says sagely, "The First Spinjitzu Master created this realm as a means of escape. The Oni sought to destroy and only that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Doesn't explain why this 'Sons of Garmadon' or whatever was after them in the first place," Lloyd interrupts grumpily. Excuse him if he's bitter about having yet another reason for people to hate him. They think he's the leader of some wannabe biker gang for goodness' sake!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"After the First Spinjitzu Master left the realm of the Oni and Dragon, Oni generals created these masks out of spite. They possess too much power for one to handle, despite looking like mere decorations. Let me finish next time, Lloyd."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cringes. "My bad."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No matter, you must retrieve these masks at all costs," Wu finishes, tapping his flute on the ground once before ninja-ing away, playing some version of 'Centuries' in the distance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Kai pipes up, "Was it just me, or did Master Wu look like he was holding something back?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> I wasn't the only one!" Nya exclaims.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So what do we do now?" Jay asks, fidgeting with his scarf. Cole leans against the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think there's anything we can do right now," He turns to Lloyd, "Unless..?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lloyd thinks for a second, pacing back and forth. "Zane, you know what the Oni masks look like, yeah?" Zane nods his head. "The Masks of Hatred, Vengeance, and </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deception are all familiar." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good, we're gonna need that info later on. Cole's right. We won't be able to do anything now." Lloyd turns and looks up at the mechs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not with those, anyway."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Recollection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Harumi remembers.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i have no excuses for promptly disappearing ;;</p><p>but hOOO BOY HAVE YALL SEEN SEASON 15???? NOT OKAY.</p><p>is this chapter formatted okay? im doing this all on mobile</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Harumi was taught to always have an open mind. As she grew up, she learned many things. How to tie her shoes, why the sky was blue, what happened when people died.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Why Lloyd Garmadon was a menace.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The normal things for kids to figure out at a young age. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Having an open mind meant listening to other people. By listening to others, she learned how to avoid bad things. Bad things, like strangers, bullies, too much television. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Lord Garmadon.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harumi never really knew why Garmadon was a 'bad thing,' as she didn't live in the busy parts of Ninjago City. Every time she asked questions in public, people shied away from the topic. Every time she tried to watch the news, her parents would quickly put an end to it (by either changing the channel or shutting off the TV entirely). It was annoying. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The only thing she could generally understand was that the warlord liked smashing stuff. Weird guy.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>But as children tended to do, she mimicked her parents, could practically feel the disdain for the name itself rolling off other adults. There weren't many other things she learned to dislike or avoid.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>That was until she lost her parents.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>To a fire, that is. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone had set the apartment complex aflame. It caught everyone off guard. Harumi was one of the few survivors left (sometimes she wishes she wasn't). Her parents had tried to escape, but the elevator was unavailable and the stairs were already falling apart. She remembers the smoke and how it seemingly never ended, constantly rising and rising. In a final attempt, her parents had held her out the window, where one of the firemen would eventually catch her. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembers desperately clinging onto her mother's arms. Not exactly because she was afraid, no, but because she was acutely aware of the fact that she'd never see them again.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Remembers her parents wearing melancholy smiles, remembers hearing a blood-curdling scream, remembers wondering why her throat was suddenly dry when the screaming stopped.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembers the smell of smoke and ash, the smell of death.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harumi added 'fires' onto her list of bad things to avoid that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harumi was moved to Ninjago City.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The home she was adopted into did not feel like a home— not even close. She was taken in by a ‘“lovely couple,”; at least, that was what the people with saccharine smiles would say</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The man was a banker. The woman was a model.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither of them really cared as much as Harumi would have liked to admit. She was just another charity case.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that it bothered her all that much.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The distant glow of the volcano always lulled her to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She watches the classroom warily.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Harumi, how would you like to tell the class about yourself?” Harumi opens her mouth, then closes it back.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She remembers the bright orange accompanied with the blistering heat, remembers the screaming, and keeps silent.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She stays silent for the rest of the year.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harumi did not talk much. When she stopped talking altogether, the couple almost forgot her entire existence most of the time. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>So she acted out. Never did homework, constantly skipped classes, and made unpleasant hand gestures. It didn’t last long, though. Apparently her behavior was enough to actually worry the couple and the people with saccharine smiles.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Supposedly.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She ran away the moment they turned a blind eye again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Harumi didn’t really expect to run into Lord Garmadon himself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was dark. Harumi didn’t know where she was going, nor did she exactly care. As long as it was away from </span>
  </em>
  <span>here. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She shoves her hands into her pockets, listening to coins jangle about with other items. A nickel, some quarters, pennies. Maybe it’d be enough for a late-night snack…?</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She stares up at the billboards illuminating the night sky, listens to the cars passing by, closes her eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This place will never be like home. Harumi lets out a shaky breath.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Psst, hey, kid.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The girl almost pauses before making the decision to keep going. It’d be best to pretend she didn’t hear a thing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey,” the voice drags out. She doesn’t answer, only slightly increases her step. Where was that convenience store again?</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“HEY!” The voice finally yells, and Harumi suddenly has to throw her arms out to avoid smacking her face onto the concrete. She struggles to get up, but a foot on her side prevents the girl from moving any further.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Rude little brat, aren't cha,” the voice sneers. Harumi looks up to see the voice belonging to an angry man, “Didn’t anybody teach you to respect your elders?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Harumi has to refrain from rolling her eyes, despite the pain in her side. Well, yeah. Except normally kids aren’t supposed to greet strangers, either. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The man sneered when he realized he wasn’t going to get an answer and drew his leg back, mumbling something about ‘</span>
  </em>
  <span>teaching a lesson.’ </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harumi flinches and squeezes her eyes shut, though not before catching a glimpse of molten-red eyes</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>—</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harumi jolts awake. When had she drifted off?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright, Quiet One?” Someone asks, though she can't be bothered to place it at the moment.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes- yeah, I'm," She puts a hand on her head, the newly retrieved Oni masks coming into focus. "I'm fine."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harumi shifts her attention to her phone as the screen lights up, a message being read.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>greenie: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>hey!! :D u ready for tomorrow? my friends might be a bit weird… </span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The white-haired teen lets out a chuckle. Such a dork… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine," She repeats with finality. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>no the guy who attacked our home girl was not lord g</p><p>all will be revealed in time... c:</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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